


School Days

by sceawere



Series: 'These Moments' Verse aka John OC Family Verse [3]
Category: Peaky Blinders (TV)
Genre: Childhood Sweethearts, Crushes, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 16:47:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21019010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sceawere/pseuds/sceawere
Summary: Prequel to 'These Moments'. John being an adorable kid with a crush.-“John use your words before I-““There’s a girl!” he blurted out, hoping it would hasten his exit.Polly rolled her lips between her teeth, trying not to smile too wide.“A girl?”“Yeah…at school. She’s…I like her, alright?” he admitted, bashful.“School? When did you ever-““I’ve been the last week” he mumbled.“John, I physically dragged you to the gates for 6 months and you’re telling me you’ve been sending yourself off for a week without me knowing?”





	School Days

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

John jumped, dropping the contents of his hands and spinning around.

“Nothing!” he called out, trying and failing to appear innocent.

Polly tilted her head down, her face showing how little she believed him.

“Move” she commanded, and he sighed in defeat. John might not be the smartest of the brothers, but he had self preservation, and disobeying Polly was not a smart move.

She moved into the room, flicking her finger to show him which way to shuffle away, and he did. He kept his head down, avoiding her stare. Polly stopped in front of the dresser and rolled her eyes over the side, looking down at him when she was done.

“Pockets” came her next command.

“I didn’t take nothing” John tried to argue.

“Prove it”

“Trust is an important thing, Pol”

His aunt raised a brow at the little boys words. “Pockets”

He sighed, shoving his hands in his shorts pocket and turning them out for her. Sweet wrappers dropped to the floor, fluff, and a stubbed cigarette, but no jewellery. Polly crouched to pick up the stub, placed it in front of his face with a stern look, before she threw it behind him and stared him down. He stared back, defiant.

“Told you, I didn’t take nothing” he replied, indignant.

“What were you doing in my ring box then?”

He shrugged. “I was…just looking”

“Looking?”

“Yeah. With my eyes”

Polly looked him over as he turned his pockets back in, burying his hands, and avoiding her eyes. John was never particularly shy so she always knew when he was trying to hide something from her.

“Why?”

He sighed again, swaying from foot to foot. “I was going to borrow one. Only to copy. I’d put it back, soon as I finished, I promise Pol! I’d never steal from you”

“John, borrow…what are you talking about?”

He looked off down the corridor, eyebrows clenched together.

“It’s what you do isn’t it? You get ‘em rings” he shrugged once more, wanting desperately to get out of this situation as quick as possible.

“John use your words before I-“

“There’s a girl!” he blurted out, hoping it would hasten his exit.

Polly rolled her lips between her teeth, trying not to smile too wide.

“A girl?”

“Yeah…at school. She’s…I like her, alright?” he admitted, bashful.

“School? When did you ever-“

“I’ve been the last week” he mumbled.

“John, I physically dragged you to the gates for 6 months and you’re telling me you’ve been sending yourself off for a week without me knowing?”

“I went odd days before that. But…sometimes, yeah. I go by myself”

“Why?”

“Because…I wouldn’t…" he wriggled on the spot, his emotional discomfort become physical, "Pol, can I just go now? Please?”

“No”

He sighed, hands coming free from his pockets so he could swing his arms by his sides. He moved around, trying to contain his energy.

“I wouldn’t see her otherwise. She lives in them houses up by the park and her dad don’t like me” he replied with a frown.

Polly settled back slightly, “Does she like you?”

“I think so. She laughs at me. Not _at _me, at my jokes. I taught her how to punch, I think she liked that”

Polly rolled her eyes, turning her head, and resting an elbow on her knee to cover her mouth with her hand as she looked away. “That might be why her dad isn’t fond”

John mulled over the words for a few moments, his frown deepening as he considered it.

“Does he **have **to like me to marry her? I can make him like me if I need to, can’t I Pol?”

Polly's eyebrows rose at her nephew's words. “You’re going to marry her now?”

“Well…we held hands so…that’s what you’re supposed to do after, isn’t it?”

“Oh, John”

Polly reached out and smoothed his hair over. He’d gone from looking embarrassed to concerned.

“That’s why I wanted to borrow a ring, so I could see what they look like, nice ones. I want her to have a nice one. A pretty one, like her. Then I was gonna put it back once I got one and…”

“Marry her” Polly finished.

“Yeah. There’s this tree in the schoolyard and it’s got them flowers that fall off and look like confetti” he motioned with his hand “and that’s where people get married at break. It’s…pretty”

“Like her?”

He nodded, squidging his lips nervously and Polly smiled to herself.

“Does this lady have a name?”

He looked apprehensive about telling Polly, but he did, and she stood.

“Right, well. I won’t be having any marrying strangers going on so you better invite her round for tea. Tomorrow. After school"

John looked up, locking his hands behind his back and rocking on his heels.

“I can bring her home?” he questioned.

“Make sure she asks her dad and doesn’t just leave. I won’t have him worrying she’s wandered off. Or having him think you led her off. Leaves a bad impression”

John nodded, a stern expression on his face.

“You’re right. I need to make him like me. Make him think I’m responsible”

Polly couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of her seven year old nephew acting as if he were a man three times his age, trying to butter up his father-in-law.

“And if I find you in my jewellery again, I’ll clip your bloody ear” she pinched at one for emphasis, and then raised her arm towards the door.

He smiled cheekily at her pointing finger and quirked brow, jumping over the bed and out of the room, shouting for his brothers.


End file.
